Thermally insulating panels



Dec. 15, 1964 Filed March 31 1961 w. J. GORT 3,160,925

THERMALLY INSULATING PANELS 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 602.41 J. 6027:

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. TTOEA/EY Dec. 15, 1964 w. J. GORT 3,160,925

THERMALLY INSULATING PANELS Filed March 51, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TEMP. 75 F.

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0 25 50 75 J00 J25 J50 AVERAGE. MEAN TEMPEZATUBE, F.

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United States Patent 3,160,925 THERMALLY INSULATING FANELS William .I. Gert, Pittsburgh, Pa, assignor to Koppers Company, Inc, a corporation of Eelaware Filed Mar. 31, 1961, Sell. No. 99,778 2 Claims. (Cl. -15} The present invention relates to thermally insulating translucent doors, windows and panels.

In the design and construction of modern homes and industrial buildings, one of the ever present problems is to select materials which combine to provide function and beauty. Economical considerations require that materials be provided which will promote good thermal insulation between rooms and areas within and without buildings. Due to the unquestioned demand for homes and industrial buildings, there are now being employed a great many materials as separators, which materials are supposed to function as thermal insulating structures. In general, such materials are made in the form of solid, opaque panels and doors. These units of construction have been made of varied materials such as plaster, cork block or hollow wools in which an air space has been left for the insulation of the room or area winch is being separated. Reflective insulation has also been provided through the use of such materials as aluminum foil. The above methods and materials are disadvantageous inthat they prevent transmission of light and because they are limited in their aesthetic appeal. Furthermore, the erection of a building employing masonry and plaster as the principal materials is extremely expensive, requiring the handling of large volumes of heavy building materials, erection of temporary forms, and the dismantling and removal of the forms. Other panels have been constructed of glass layers which contain air space therebetween providing the resulting panels with insulating properrties. Use of such panels is limited, however, because they must be transparent or the individual layers must be sufficiently set apart to promote insulation. Thus, a great deal of valuable space becomes wastefullyoocupied in order to provide air space or vacuum between the glass layers.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide building units such as panels, doors and windows which are prefabricated and suitable for incorporation in buildings and other structures, said units being low in cost and having physical characteristics which well adapt them for such uses or applications. The building panels, doors and windows of this invention are easy to manufacture, simple to handle, transport and install and have excellent decorative and thermal insulating characteristics. Another object of this invention is to provide an improved method for constructing panels, doors and windows which contain one or more continuous sheets of foamed polystyrene film.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved method of constructing panels, doors and windows having inner and outer members, the outer members being transparent and there being a single or plurality of sheets of foamed polystyrene film spaced between the inner and outer members. Another object of this invention is to provide a thin extruded foamed polystyrene film as an interlayer between two glass outer members or the like to form an insulating structure having translucentproperties and. a highly decorative aesthetic appeal.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for decorating-an area with reversible, colored thermally insulating panels.

, ()ther advantages and objects are inherent in the construction of the parts and in the method of operation.

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From the following drawings, the objects and advantages will become more apparent.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side view of a section of panel made according to this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of a window containing a waffle pattern of strips of foamed polystyrene according to this invention;

FIGURES 3 and 4 are also front views illustrating two separate designs to be used for panels made in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 5 is a front view of FIGURE 1 illustrating a panel comprised of two solid outer elements of glass containing, as an interlayer, a solid sheet of extruded foamed polystyrene film; V

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view showing in fragmentary form, edge members extending vertically along the edges of the panel;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective ing frame slot members;

FIGURE 8 is a front view of a panel designed to be horizontally rotated about two pivot points; and

FIGURE'Q is a front view illustrating the application of adhesive to the panel structure parts.

FIGURES 10 and 11 are graphs showing the variation ofK factor of foamed polystyrene film with mean temperature at a'fixed density, and the change in K factor with the density at a constant temperature.

The novel interlayer 10 of foamed polystyrene film as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 5 comprises a rectangular sheet of foamed polystyrene material. This foamed polystyrene material is expandable polystyrene which has been foamed into alight plastic foam film with a smooth glazed surface. The polystyrene film may have a density less than 1 lb./cu. ft. As shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, there are a plurality of sheets of the foamed polystyrene film. These sheets may be circular as illustrated in FIGURE 3 or they maybe wafile patterns as in FIG- URE 2. The sheets may be spaced in a regular fashion as illustrated in FIGURE 4 or in random fashion if desired.

The sheet 16 may be formed by the use of a variety of methods. For example, expandable polymeric material may be extruded through the, use of conventional extrusion apparatus b-y extruding, at a cylinder temperature of -260 F. and a dye temperature of 250- 290 F., polystyrene particles which have integrated therein from about 4 to 9 percent of an aliphatic hydro carbon boiling approximately in the range of 30-90 C. and which have homogeneously admixed therewith a carbon dioxide liberating agent and an acid in an amount sufficient to produce upon reaction .a total of up to about view showing edge receiv- 5 percent by weight of water and carbon dioxide based on the weight of the polystyrene particles. Advantageously, the film, as prepared by this method and useful for this invention, is a film of foamed polystyrene having an average cell size of 0.004 inch and average cell wall thickness of less than 0.0004inch and a density of .75-8

lbs./ cu. ft. A detailed description of the process for preparing such film is described in application Serial No.- 780,934 filed December 17, 1958 and now abandoned by Albert R. Kudlach and assigned to the assignee of this interlayer of extruded polystyrene foamed film. The adhesive hardens to form a continuous interlayer which, by means of the portions thereof which have adhered to the outer facing members, is locked and supported in posi tion; thus, the film is prevented from sagging. or coming loose from the outer facing layers due to handling or impact. The panels as illustrated in the drawings are comprised generally of outer facing materials 11 and 12 and an internal thermally insulating structure It engaged or arranged between the outer facing materials 11 and 12, the interlayer adhering to and securing together the outer facing materials.

According to the invention, the panel may be further provided with edge members 14 extending vertically and horizontallyalong the edges of the panel and interlocked with the outer facing materials 11 and 12, thus providing for strength and rigidity and also to permit the panels to be slidably engaged with edge receiving slot members 15 as shown. in FIGURE 7 to promote movement of the panel when the panel is not in a stationary position. Thus, a room size may be readily changed by a simple movement of the panels. In practice, the outer edges may be metal such as aluminum or steel, wood, plywood or combinations of such materials. For certain intended applications such as room separators, a metal edge member is preferred to permit free movement of the panels. I I

The interlayers serve the unique function of reducing the volume and width of the entire structure that is required for thermal insulation in the manufacture of the building unit. I have found that it is most practical to construct the structure as illustrated in FIGURE 1, it being apparent that the greatest amount of insulation is thus afforded. .In the form of the invention illusrated in FIGURE 2, the structure is a reticulated assembly of intercrossing strips assembled and related to extend at right angles to one another and to define substantially square or rectangular transparent spaces. In this structure, it will be obvious thatthe strips 13 of the structure may be suitably attached without the use of adhesive by arranging the edges of the strips to engage the inner surfaces of the edge material 14 whereby the edge materials operate under compression to hold the so arranged strips in their spaced relationships. FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate other types or forms of thermal insulating and decorative interlayer structures that may be incorporated in the building units of the invention. In FIGURES 3, the thermal insulating material is a series of circular discs arranged in geometric patterns within the outer facing materials. The continuous flat faces of the circular discs are secured to the outer facing materials by cement.

The thickness of the foamed polystyrene interlayer may be varied to adapt the building panels for different uses or applications. In a typical panel, the thickness of the foamed polystyrene film can be as little as .02 inch. The thickness of the outer facing members will also vary for the different uses or applications. The total thickness of the outer facing members and the interlayer need never exceed one inch.

The foamed polystyrene film obtains and retains excellent thermal insulating values to thus provide a needed characteristic to the panels. Values for thermal conductivity or K factor of the foamed polystyrene film material were obtained by the Guarded Hot. Plate Method (ASTMC-l7745). The graphs, FIGURES l and 11, show the variation of K with mean temperatures at a fixed density, and the change in K with the density at a constant temperature. The K factor decreases with the lower mean temperatures and at a mean temperature of 270 F. the K factor for 2 lbs/cu. ft; density film is 0.05. The foamed polystyrene film at 1 lb./ cu. ft. density exhibits no change in dimensions when exposed to temperatures up to 180 F. for 30 minutes. It is as a [5. result of using this material that the panels of this in Y vention have excellent and surprising thermal insulating properties even though, amazingly, the thickness of the panels is less than one inch in most applications.

The opposed surfacesofthe outer facing materials are coated :as described aforesaid with an adhesive in a conventional manner to provide adherence between thb foamed polystyrene film and the outer facing materials of glass or clear plastic. The adhesive may be applied to the surfaces of the outer facing materials by simply spraying or brushi g ,Or by means of a spreading device such as a trowel, spatula or spreading board. Various adhesives can be used herein; for example, a conventional starch adhesive or optionally one modified with an ureaformaldehyde or resorcinolrformaldehyde resin to enhance water resistance works quite well. Alternately, such adhesives as sodium silicate, polyvinyl alcohol, polystyrene latices, phenol-modified resorcinol-formaldehyde resins and the like can be used. Generally speaking, elastomeric type adhesives are quite suitable.

The foamed polystyrene film useful in this invention may, if safety regulations require, be made fire retardant by impregnating the expandable polystyrene particles with bromine before filling the beads into the extrusion apparatus. Advantageously for this purpose the polystyrene particles are added to an aqueous suspension containing bromine. The suspension is heated and the bromine therein is activated to cause it to combine chemically with the polymer particles. The brominated polymer is thereafter washed and dried to produce a flame retardant polystyrene material.

A particular color scheme which has been selected for a room or building which will contain the thermal insulating panels,-windows or doors of this invention can easily be continued because of the relative ease with which the expandable. polystyrene particles used as the interlayer of the building unit can be dyed into attractive,

homogeneous colored materials. For example, the expandable polystyrene particles may be dyed by immersing said expandable particles for from 15 to 30 minutes in a heated aqueous 'dye bath of a water-insoluble, organic-solvent soluble dye and a solvent selected from the group consisting of dimethyl formamide, dimethyl acetamide, dimethyl sulfoxide and N-methyl pyrrolidone, removing the particles from the bath, rinsing. the particles with water and thereafter drying the particles. The dye may be any Water-insoluble, organic solvent-soluble dye, such as the dispersed dyes, the vat dyes and the solvent dyes; Typical dyes are Solvent Yellow 2 (Cl-11020), Dispersed Red 9 (01. 60505) and Vat Red 1 (Cl-- 73360). A detailed description of the process for dying such expandable particles is described in application Serial No. 33,928, filed June 6, 1960 now Patent No. 3,020,247 by Joseph Bianco and assigned to the assignee of this invention. I

Reference to FIGURE 8 particularly illustrates the advantage of having the interlayer dyed to a particular color. In FIGURE 8, the panel 30 is mounted on a trunnion 20 having ring bearing slots 21 to receive bearing pins 23 mounted on edge members 25 of panel 30. The panel is so constructed having special utility for changing, at will, the color scheme of any room or :area or any portion of a room or area of various configurations. By providing two sheets of foamed polystyrene film dyed in different colors, each sheet facing in an opposite direction from the other within the outer facing members of the panel, the panel can be readily turned on a single axis to present an entirely different color scheme, to the interior of an area. It also makes possible various changes in configuration or' shape of the room. The rotation of the panel may be accomplished in many simple ways. One way is to provide oppositely disposed bearing pins for seating in bearing slots in the arms of a trunnion. The slots also may be formed in the panel at oppositely disposed regions and the bearing pins disposed on the trunnion. The bearing pins or the ring bearing slots may also be incorporated in the room or structure such as the ceiling and floor or on the side walls of the room or area.

The fantastic combination of characteristics available in the panels of this invention are enhanced by the light transmission properties to-be found in the foamed poly styrene film used as the interlayer. The panels, when made to contain a sheet of polystyrene covering the entire area of the outer facing materials, operate to completely block out visibility but surprisingly perrnit an amazing amount of light to be transmitted through the completed panel. The polystyrene films useful in this invention were tested by the well known Baumgartner test for light transmission using a Baumgartner Refiectometer, Model No. 8 PVIAAF. Results of this test are described below for two samples of the polystyrene material.

Table I Light Transmission Baumgartner, Percent Density, Lb. lit.

The foregoing has described a novel improved building panel having outstanding insulating and aesthetic characteristics. This novel panel permits the use in homes and industrial buildings of building materials that combine function with beauty. It is no longer necessary,

' when insulating rooms or areas, to construct solid opaque be readily turned on a single axis to present an entirely different color scheme to the interior of an area.

2. A thermally insulating translucent building panel of I predetermined dimensions which includes an interlayer of two sheets of extruded expandable polystryrene film of different colors, said sheets being the product obtained by extruding polystryrene particles, having integrated therein from 4 percent to 9 percent of an aliphatic hydrocarbon boiling approximtaely in the range of C. to 90 C., and having homogeneously admixed therewith acarbon dioxide liberating agent and an acid present in an amount sufficient to produce upon reaction a total of about 5 percent per weight of water and carbon dioxide based on the wei ht of polystyrene particles to produce a film of at least 0.02 inch in thickness of foamed polystyrene, said sheets being arranged back-to-back such that they face in opposite directions from each other, rigid facing members on each of the parallel opposite sides of said interlayer comprising transparent glass, each outer facing member adhered to said interlayer by an adhesive which bonds the surfaces of the interlayers to the surfaces of the outer members along the outer edges of said panel to provide said interlayer to be locked and supported in position, edge protecting hardware extending vertically and horizontally along the edges of said panel enclosing the edges of the outer facing members comprising slotted panel receiving members having a substantially U-shaped cross section, two opposite parallel sides of predetermined dimensions which includes an interlayer r of two sheets extruded expandable polystyrene film of different colors said sheets 'being arranged back-to-back such that they face in opposite directions from each other, rigid facing members on each of the parallel opposite sides of said interlayer comprising transparent glass, each outer facing member adhered to said interlayer by an adhesive which'bonds the surfaces of the interlayers to the surfaces of the outer members along the outer edges of said panel to provide said interlayer to be locked and supported in position, edge protecting hardware extending vertically and horizontally along the edges of said panel enclosing the edges of the outer facing members comprising slotted panel receiving members having a substantially U-shaped cross section, two opposite parallel sides of which being arranged to bear against the side edges of said outer facing members and the third side being arranged to bear against the outer edge of said interlayer and said outer facing members, said edge protecting hardware having mounted on opposite disposed horizontal side pivoting members for seating in oppositely disposed seating members, whereby the panel can which being arranged to bear against the side edges of said outer facing members and the third side being arranged to bear against the outer edge of said interlayer and said outer facing members, said edge protecting hardware having mounted on opposite disposed horizontal side pivoting members for seating in oppositely disposed seating members, whereby the panel can be readily turned on a single axis to present an entirely different color scheme to the interior of an area.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,629,350 5/27 Materny 2048 1,748,587 2/30 Smedley l54 1,982,753 12/34 Panter 2048 2,094,381 9/37 Slay-tor 20-56.5

2,107,994 2/38 Hazelton 266 2,167,764 8/39 Lytle 50266 2,233,941 3/41 Fix.

2,374,057 4/45 Watkins.

2,567,353 9/51 Ryan.

2,717,802 9/55 Martin. 4

2,787,809 4/57 Stastny 50268X 2,900,405 8/59 McCall et a1. 106-l5 2,902,726 9/59 Berreski 204 2,957,483 10/60 Dunn 50268 X 3,025,198 3/62 Dunn 50265 X 3,028,277 4/62 Dunn 50265 X FOREIGN PATENTS 872,798 4/55 Germany. 231,096 1960 Australia.

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Primary Examiner. 

1. A THERMALLY INSULATING TRANSLUCENT BUILDING PANEL OF PREDETERMINED DIMENSIONS WHICH INCLUDES AN INTERLAYER OF TWO SHEETS EXTRUDED EXPANDABLE POLYSTYRENE FILM OF DIFFERENT COLORS SAID SHEETS BEING ARRANGED BACK-TO-BACK SUCH THAT THEY FACE IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FROM EACH OTHER, RIGID FACING MEMBERS ON EACH OF THE PARALLEL OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID INTERLAYER COMPRISING TRANSPARENT GLASS, EACH OUTER FACING MEMBER ADHERED TO SAID INTERLAYER BY AN ADHESIVE WHICH BONDS THE SURFACES OF THE INTERLAYERS TO THE SURFACES OF THE OUTER MEMBERS ALONG THE OUTER EDGES OF SAID PANEL TO PROVIDE SAID INTERLAYER TO BE LOCKED AND SUPPORTED IN POSITION, EDGE PROTECTING HARDWARE EXTENDING VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY ALONG THE EDGES OF SAID PANEL ENCLOSING THE EDGES OF THE OUTER FACING MEMBERS 